A petition calling for a ban on non-stun slaughter of animals, including halal, in the UK has reached a major milestone. The online petition, set up by Philip Weston, has gathered more than 50,000 signatures – 51,646 at the time of writing. It was first published on Parliament's website on March 30 and closes on September 30.
Petition calls for blanket ban
Mr Weston wrote: "Religious slaughter may require the animal to be slaughtered whilst alive, which is in line with their religious beliefs. In relation to this, stunning needs to be recoverable. Normal slaughter uses a bolt gun that renders the animal brain dead and unable to regain consciousness."
He added: "The Government has the power to ban non-stun religious slaughter in this country via legislation. Greece did this in 2021. Many argue that the labelling of meat products via supermarkets is insufficient and can’t be trusted, so we believe a blanket ban on non-stun and recoverable stun animal slaughter is needed."
Mr Weston also said: "We feel people who disagree with these practices shouldn’t effectively have their rights diminished and shouldn’t be forced to eat meat that has not been stunned-to-kill, due to a lack of options."
Defence of religious slaughter
Shimon Cohen, 65, of Shechita UK, from Cardiff, previously hit back at those who want to outlaw the Jewish method of non-stun slaughter. He told The Express: "Thinking [that it's cruel] doesn’t make it so. The science demonstrates that the Shechita method is a humane method of animal slaughter."
Government response
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said: "The government prefers all animals to be stunned before slaughter but respects the rights of Jews and Muslims to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs."
DEFRA added: "The government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter and would prefer all animals to be stunned before slaughter. However, we respect the rights of Jews and Muslims to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs. The government therefore has no plans to ban slaughter without stunning."
It continued: "For all stunned slaughter, legislation requires checks to be made that animals do not present any signs of consciousness and sensibility between stunning and death. If animals are not properly stunned, appropriate measures such as a back-up stun must be taken."
DEFRA also noted: "While there is an exception from stunning for meat for Jews and Muslims, a significant proportion of halal meat comes from animals that are stunned before slaughter. The 2024 Slaughter Sector Survey showed for example that 88% of halal meat chickens in England and Wales were stunned prior to slaughter during the survey week."
